Cruel Intentions
by Voyevoda3203
Summary: InuYasha has formed a secret alliance with an unexpected enemy to steal the Sacred Jewel. Who is his partner in crime? Does it have anything to do with Kagome's recurring dreams? And why is Naraku helping Kagome? Read to find out. Prologue and Chap 1 up.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Sadly I don't own any of the characters from Inuyasha. ;(

A/N: This is my first Inuyasha fic and also the first fic I've written in a very, very long time. I just started watching Inuyasha a few months ago when they restarted it from the beginning so I'm still getting used to the characters and their mannerisms even though I'm totally caught up with the season now. So please go easy on me but feel free to correct any of my spelling errors, setting errors, or character flaws. Anywho, on with the story.

Prologue

'_Where...where am I?'_

"_Kagome!" a familiar male voice yelled urgently, waking a half conscious Kagome from a rather disturbing sleep. A sick feeling sat in the pit of her stomach...it was a really disturbing sleep. In her dream InuYasha stole the Shikon Jewel from her and took it into his possession, using it to-_

"_Kagome!" the voice hollered once again._

"_Miroku?"_

"_Kagome, thank God you're alive!" another voice called out. The voice was more high pitched and adolescent than the one before. Shippo? _

'_Alive??' Kagome wondered dumbfounded. 'I was just sleeping, geez...' The young teenager yawned and struggled to roll out of bed. 'Wait...why can't I move?' "What's going on??" she cried out urgently and jolted awake. A panic rose into Kagome's throat as she glanced down. She wasn't in bed at all...in fact she wasn't even horizontal to the ground. Kagome was tied up to the same tree she freed InuYasha from when she first encountered him. But why? _

"_Kagome, you fool," a menacing voice growled. Kagome blinked her eyes and saw the one man that she ever cared for standing a few yards away, supporting himself on a nearby tree. "Did you actually think I'd use the Shikon Jewel to become a weak pathetic human when I could become...this?" InuYasha lifted his hands in front of his face, studying them intently with glowing ember eyes. _

'_Oh no, that wasn't a dream I was having! T hat was real! InuYasha actually used the power from the sacred Shikon Jewel to become a full demon. Oh how I wish I were dreaming now...'_

_As the reincarnation of the priestess, Kikyo, Kagome sensed InuYasha's strength had increased one hundred fold. Power coursed through his entire body; she could see it running through his veins. She watched as InuYasha balled one of his hands into a fist and punched it into the other. 'When did those hands become so violent towards me? Those were the same hands that held me close many times. The same hands that would sift through my hair gently. Those same hands that protected me from powerful demons. Now who would protect me from you?' _

"_Everyone will fear me, including you," InuYasha growled lowly, almost reading her thoughts. All gentleness that once existed was now gone as he sliced through the air with his claws, as if to give a demonstration of his great power. InuYasha was standing a good 10 feet away but Kagome still felt the effects of his powerful lash as it rippled through the air towards her face, slicing her cheek open. Kagome gasped and whipped her head to the side in pain as blood streaked down her face and pooled in the ground. _

"_Kagome, no!" a female voice yelled in concern. "Stop this InuYasha!"_

'_Sango, is that you?'_

_Kagome glanced to her left and she saw Sango, Shippo, and Miroku all tied to their own trees, just as she was. Poor Kirara laid next to Sango lifeless with an arrow sticking up from her side. _

"_Would you just shut up!?" InuYasha bellowed. He turned on Kagomes friends and took a giant leap, landing in front of Sango. He didn't give Sango any time to protest. He took his tetsusaiga in it's dormant state and raised it to her throat, using the rusty sword to slice through her delicate skin. Sango gave one last escaping breath before her head sunk down into her chest. _

_There was an eerie silence for as everyone registered what just happened. Shippo's face was completely pale and blank. His mouth hung open in a small 'o' as he continued to stare at Sango, expecting her to give sign of some sort of life. Kagome turned and bowed her head down. Tears streamed down her face while she struggled to keep her composure. Miroku on the other hand could not keep control. _

"_Sango, no!!" Miroku finally sobbed. Tears flowed freely down his face and he struggled against his restraints. "I'll kill you, InuYasha. I swear to the Lord I worship-you will die by my hands!" Miroku strained against the rope but all it did was bite in to his flesh, breaking his skin. He couldn't feel it though...all he felt was the pain tearing through his heart as the only woman he ever truly loved was murdered. _

_InuYasha paid no attention to Miroku. He stared and Sango's lifeless body. Then out of nowhere he erupted in to a maniacal laugh. He held out his Tetsusaiga and continued his insane hysterics while Miroku screamed empty threats at him. _

_Kagome's eyes hardened at the sound of his laughter and she turned her head to look at InuYasha straight in the eyes. 'Those eyes,' she thought back. 'Those piercing amber orbs that used to watch over me through the trees. Those piercing eyes that could see right through my soul. Those eyes that I once drowned in.' Now they glowed with a demonic aura, erasing all of who he once was. This wasn't InuYasha she was facing anymore. InuYasha is dead..."Why?" Kagome bawled. "Why are you doing this? Don't you know that we loved you?" She paused and took a breath. "Don't you know that I loved you?"_

_There was a small female chuckle in the background and a figure stepped in from the shadows. The figure walked slowly and deliberately. "Silly girl. Did you ever think InuYasha could love one such as yourself when he had me all along?" _

_The voice was hauntingly familiar..._

"_Kikyo!" Kagome gasped with realization. _

_Sure enough it was Kikyo who emerged from the darkness and she now stood behind InuYasha. She placed her hand on his shoulder and InuYasha instinctively placed his hand over hers, squeezing it gently. Kikyo took the time to lower her cheek down to his hand and rub gently back and forth, caressing his hand with her smooth skin. "InuYasha was just using you, Kagome," Kikyo started. She lifted her head and stared into her reincarnations eyes. This woman-no this girl stole her soul. Stole who she once was. But that's ok. Now all was well with InuYasha by her side. "He wanted to become a demon 50 long years ago," she continued, "and now he has fulfilled his destiny. It would have been sooner if you didn't break the damn jewel, forcing us to find each shred. No matter though...what is done is done." Kikyo lifted her bow and reached back to grab an arrow from the buffalo skin casing and aimed steadily at Kagome's heart. _

"_And so are you. Say good-bye."_

"_No!!" Kagome yelled and closed her eyes tightly as she braced herself for the pain to come. _

"_Kagome!!!"_

A/N: Pretty exciting eh? Ok maybe not that exciting. Be a good reader and lemme know if you liked it or not. I don't want to continue writing a story if I don't have any fans. Much peace and love.


	2. Chapter 1: An Enemy's Warning

Disclaimer: Sadly I don't own any of the characters from Inuyasha. ;(

Chapter 1: An Enemy's Warning

"Good morning, Kagome" Sango said warmly as the sleepy teenager stumbled out of Kaede's hut.

"Morning," Kagome said. "But it isn't good." She raised her hand to her mouth and yawned loudly as she scanned her surroundings. Sango gave her a confused look, but went back to waxing her weapon under the shade of a nearby tree while Miroku sat not too far from Sango, cross-legged and meditating. Shippo was chasing a nearby butterfly, giggling the whole time and InuYasha sat lazily in the tree above both Sango and Miroku. He looked down curiously at Kagome, studying her tired features. She had purple bags under her eyes and she definitely looked like she had been tossing and turning all night.

"Why is that?" Miroku asked. His eyes remained closed as if concentrating. "Have a bad night's sleep?"

"Most definitely," Kagome replied as she recalled the horrifying images in her head of Sango's throat being slit by InuYasha. She shivered but pushed the images to the back of her mind and walked over to her overstuffed backpack. She unbuckled the top flap and rummaged through the contents, looking for something to eat.

InuYasha pounced down from the tree and landed perfectly behind Kagome. "Bad dream?" he asked quietly.

Kagome looked over her shoulder at InuYasha a bit startled. "Yeah.." she started, trailing off slightly. She didn't want to tell him about her dream. Knowing his temper, he'd probably bite her head off if she accused him of wanting to use the Shikon Jewel for his own selfish reasons. But it was a dream after all.

"Care to share?" InuYasha asked, concerned. He placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently.

Kagome stared at his hand for a minute. In her dream his hands had hurt her both physically and they were the same hands that killed Sango. But how could that be? He's so concerned about her right now. The way he acted in her dream was totally out of left field. He could never hurt them...she was sure of it. Kagome shook herself out of her stupor and smiled up at InuYasha, coming to her senses. "It's fine, InuYasha, really. It was just a dream after all. Doesn't mean a thing."

"If you say so," InuYasha replied, thinking nothing of it. "What are you looking for?" he asked, changing the subject.

Kagome continued rummaging through her pack. "I could have sworn I had some noodles in here somewhere. I brought a bunch of packs but they're nowhere to be found.."

Miroku let out a small squeak and cracked his eyes open. He stood up quickly. "Well, I think I'm done meditating for the day. Oh the weather's lovely today, isn't it? I think I'll go take a walk down by the river. Catch you guys later." He walked hurriedly along the forest trail that led down to the river and InuYasha and Kagome both shared a knowing look.

"Well, seems like Miroku ate the noodles," Kagome sighed and stood up, stuffing the contents back inside her backpack haughtily. She buckled it shut and sighed once again. "Time to go hunting. Boy this day keeps getting better and better." Kagome grabbed her bow and arrows and started to head off into the woods, opposite of the direction Miroku was heading for good reason. If she bumped in to Miroku accidentally while hunting she'd be sure to give him a piece of her mind.

"No Kagome," InuYasha said, holding her back. "I'll go."

"Really? How sweet of you," Kagome gushed happily and gave InuYasha a small peck on his cheek.

"It's no problem," InuYasha said, blushing slightly. He quickly turned and leapt off into the forest with his Tetsusaiga drawn.

"That was sweet of him," Sango commented as Kagome approached the busy girl. Kagome kneeled down next to Sango and nodded her head. "Yeah he's turning into such a softie. When we first met he didn't want anything to do with me. Now he does things for me at the drop of a dime...I think he may actually care for me too."

Sango stopped waxing her trusty boomerang and looked slyly at Kagome. "And from the way you act around him I assume you feel the same way?"

"Err," Kagome blushed. She instinctively wanted to deny her feelings but she furrowed her eyebrows together in speculation. _'So what if I have feelings for InuYasha...is that such a crime?' _"Yes," Kagome finally replied with a strong smile on her face. "I definitely have feelings for him."

Sango was taken aback for a second. Of course she knew that Kagome felt for InuYasha but she didn't expect her to admit it so freely when all they do is play mind games with one another. She finally smiled though and felt somewhat proud of Kagome for admitting her feelings...now if she could just do the same with a certain someone.

"Aaaannd what about you, Sango?" Kagome asked just as slyly. "Why don't you admit your feelings for Miroku? I know they're there."

It was Sango's turn to blush. She felt her heart beat rapidly in her chest and she grabbed the homemade wax and continued buffering her boomerang. "I-because I don't feel for him the same way you feel for InuYasha," she quietly replied.

Kagome's mouth dropped. "Sango, your heart is on your sleeve when it comes to Miroku! Anyone can tell that you have feelings for him."

Sango hastily stood up with her eyes closed tightly and secured her weapon to her back. "Oh, great," she spat out, turning her back towards Kagome. "Everyone but Miroku can see that I have feelings for him. That either makes me look like a lackey or it makes him look thickheaded. Either way I refuse to act upon my feelings because of the way he treats women when I'm standing right in front of him. It's disgusting and if by some chance it turns out that he does care for me in return it won't matter. I won't be treated as sloppy seconds."

Kirara noticed Sango's distress and squeaked softly as she rubbed against Sangos leg, trying to comfort her angry friend. Sango's features softened and she bent down to pick Kirara up. The firecat hopped onto Sangos shoulder where she snuggled up underneath her long hair. "I'm sorry, Kagome," Sango stated simply, turning back around to face her friend. "I didn't mean to take my frustration with Miroku out on you. You don't deserve that."

Kagome stood up and smiled. "It's fine Sango. Don't worry about Miroku. I'm sure he'll come around and realize what he has right in front of him."

Sango shrugged. "Maybe. I'm gonna take a stroll for a bit." She paused and looked back at Shippo who ultimately gave up on chasing the butterfly and instead was peering down at a small caterpillar. "Shippo, would you like to come with me? I'm going for a walk."

Shippo turned from the caterpillar and bounded towards Sango and Kagome. "Sure would! Kagome, you coming?"

"Nah, I'll wait up for InuYasha. Have fun you two."

"Thanks. See ya soon." Sango and Shippo waved one last time to Kagome and walked briskly into the forest.

Kagome looked around at her lonely surroundings and sighed. She went back inside the hut and sat down for a few minutes on the floor. There was really nothing for her to do but wait until InuYasha came back with some food of some sort. Until then she had to wait...she fiddled her fingers, she went over geometry problems in her head, and she began to sing 100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall. It wasn't long before her stomach growled with hunger. "I bet I can find food much faster," she said to herself. She bounced to her feet and walked hurriedly out of the hut, remembering to grab her bow and arrow on the way out. "Now which way?" she asked herself. She paused and looked down each path. Something told her to go down the same path as InuYasha. He had good instincts and if he went in a certain direction searching for food, there was probably a good reason for it. "Guess this one's the winner."

'_Yes, that's it. Come to me...we have a lot to talk about, my dear, sweet Kagome. So much to discuss..."_

Half an Hour Later

Kagome slowed down to a stop after a while to catch her breath. She had been traveling for less than half and hour and something struck her as rather odd. There wasn't an animal in sight. No birds flying above the trees, not even a bird chirping. She hadn't seen a chipmunk or a squirrel or even a rabbit. Something wasn't right..."Maybe if I keep going down the trail some animals will show up," Kagome reasoned with herself. She continued to trudge down the long and bumpy trail.

Another ten minutes passed and Kagome stopped as she approached a fork. Which way should she go? She studied each path. The left seemed a little more paved than the other. Not as bumpy and it definitely had a lot more sunlight. The right path seemed just a bit shady and somewhat threatening. "I know what I'll do," Kagome thought out loud. She took a deep breath. "InuYasha!!!!" she bellowed out. Her voice echoed down each path and she hoped to get some sort of response from either side. Unfortunately InuYasha didn't appear by her side like she hoped he would. She yelled out his name again in hopes of his presence but she wasn't rewarded with such a prize. He had to be somewhere around here...she followed the same path he started down. Kagome groaned in frustration. She was alone, hungry...and did I mention alone?

Suddenly, Kagome furrowed her eyebrows together. "I sense a shard from the sacred jewel!" she exclaimed and looked around. Which direction was it coming from? She looked down the path that she took to get here-the path that led back to Kaede's hut. Nope, not back that way. She looked down the left path and cocked her head to the side. She did feel something....she wasn't quite sure if it was the jewel shard or something else. Whatever it was, she could barely feel it. She turned to the right path and felt a ripple go through her body. There was definitely a shard in that direction. It was unmistakable. "Maybe InuYasha is already fighting a demon with a shard of the jewel," Kagome hoped. She took a few steps down the right path and stopped. "Oh wait," she said. "There's a jewel shard coming from the left path as well! It's faint but it's definitely there." Kagome let out an exasperated sigh. "Great, now I'm right back where I started." She studied both paths once again. She did feel a stronger presence down the right path...even though it was a bit more frightening than the other. "Oh well," Kagome said to herself. She took a deep breath and she started down the path that forked to the right.

'_That's right. Come this way. I knew you would follow this path. That's why I'm waiting for you here..."_

Miroku sat lazily near the river, hypnotized by the sound of the water flowing downstream. More than anything he loved the sound of water, whether it be rain or a fountain or a waterfall. It always seemed to soothe his wandering thoughts. And boy, did his thoughts wander. Especially since he traveled with two beautiful women. And could he really help it that his hand always seemed to wander south when around those beautiful women? _'Not at all,'_ Miroku told himself. He needed a woman to bear his child before his time was up. He needed to pass down this curse so that he, his father, and his grandfather will be avenged. So that they could rest in peace. He didn't know how to go about when it came to women. He just learned to do what his father did. And apparently it worked for his father so it should work for him as well.

"I wish for Sango to bear my children," Miroku said to himself. He laid back into the tall grass, his hands supporting his head. "But she doesn't wish to do so...I can't wait for her to come around. Time is precious; time is life." Miroku lifted his right hand from under his head and his eyes hardened. "This hole will devour me if I don't destroy Naraku." He squeezed his eyes shut in frustration. How could he ever destroy Naraku? His father couldn't do so and his grandfather the same. They were both more powerful than he. There was no way he could avenge his fathers.

Miroku let out a deep breath that he didn't realize he had been holding and suddenly glanced up. He sensed a holy presence nearby. _'Who could it be?'_ he asked himself and turned onto his belly. He scanned the open area and saw a figure move along the trees a few hundred feet away. He squinted his eyes to get a better look. A flash of white, red and black. A bow and arrow...

'_Kikyo?'_ Miroku flattened himself underneath the tall grass some more. _'What is she doing here? And why is she headed towards Kaede's village?'_

"Ok, I'm officially lost now," Kagome muttered to herself and wiped the sweat off her forehead. She continued walking along the path but it ended up forking two more times. She followed the paths where she felt the aura of the jewel the strongest and now she was deep into the forest in an area where neither her or InuYasha had yet explored. The trees were cluttered together more tightly and the leaves blocked out nearly all the sunlight. This wasn't good.

Kagome stopped for a break and swallowed the lump in her throat. It was nearly an hour and a half she had been walking. She hadn't eaten anything and there was no water anywhere nearby. Her mouth was parched and scratchy and she was beginning to feel the side effects of dehydration. A dizziness came over her and she fell to her knees and struggled to steady herself.

"Why dear, you seem to be thirsty. Care for some water?"

Kagome gasped and lifted her head, struggling to see past the black dots that danced around her eyes. "Who-who are you?" She looked around. "Where are you?" There was no one to be found. Could it be possible that she imagined it? _'I must be more dehydrated than I thought.'_

There was a rustling in the trees and a quiet thud as someone landed a few yards away from her. "No you didn't imagine me, silly girl."

Kagome gaped at the figure in front of her who was completely covered in a thick white fur cloak. Her gaze traced upward and she was met with the shell of a baboon's face. "N-Naraku!" Kagome stuttered. She grabbed her bow and arrow and held it out in front of her. She climbed to her feet shakily and swayed unsteadily as she aimed. "What do you want?"

Naraku chuckled at the girls feeble attempts to appear even somewhat threatening. Of course, she was the reincarnation of the priestess Kikyo so she did have some power, but not at the state she was in. Tired, hungry, and severely dehydrated. For Pete's sake the poor girls hand was shaking as she tried to hold her aim. It almost made him feel sorry for her. Almost.

"I shall offer once again," Naraku started. "Do you care for some water?" He held out a sheepskin canteen towards her. It was filled to the top with water. Kagome could see it drip from the top.

"What-what do you want?" Kagome repeated. Her gaze met Naraku's then it wandered back down to the canister filled with cool water. Half of her wanted to pounce on him and steal it from his grasp, downing it all in one gulp. The other half knew that this was a trick. Was the water poisoned? Did he expect a favor in return? What is it that he wanted.

"I merely want to talk, my dear," Naraku replied. "I offer this water as a token of truce. I help you, and you hear me out. Simple enough, right?"

'_There's got to be a catch,' _Kagome thought to herself. But she needed the water desperately and would it hurt to hear him out? That's all he wanted right? Kagome lowered her bow down to her side and Naraku smirked. He tossed the canteen to the young girl and she caught it with her hand. She didn't even pause to study the water. She guzzled it down almost immediately.

Naraku waited patiently for the girl to finish before he continued. "Ready?" he asked after a moment. He watched her intently as she nodded. She dropped the empty canteen down to the forest ground and held her bow and arrow in a ready position at her side. Just in case.

"Thank you," Kagome muttered. She didn't like being in the debt of an enemy but all she had to do was hear him out.

"Let's go for a stroll," Naraku suggested and took a step down the trail.

"I think I prefer to stay here," Kagome replied harshly. "All I need to do is listen. No more walking."

"Fair enough." Naraku paced the forest floor a bit before he went on. "Kagome, have you noticed a change in InuYasha?"

Kagome wrinkled her eyebrows together. Where was is going with this? "No..."

"Has he been disappearing a lot more lately or offering to go off on his own to, say, hunt for food?"

"You-you've been watching us?" Kagome asked. She felt violated in a way. She didn't like for her every move to be monitored. Yet she thought back, taking heart to Naraku's proclamation. InuYasha did jump at the opportunity to go hunt for food...big deal. She thought back a bit more. And then there were those times where she woke up in the middle of the night and InuYasha was nowhere to be found...then those other times where he would fight with her for no apparent reason and he'd stomp out into the forest for hours on end. "Yes.." Kagome trailed. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

"It seems InuYasha has teamed up with an old friend of his. And you and I seem to be pawns in their little game." Naraku stopped pacing the forest floor.

"InuYasha?" Kagome immediately defended. "He wouldn't do that."

"Are you so sure?" Naraku sneered. "Don't tell me that you've dismissed your dream as a mere delusion. You know it means something."

"My dream!? How do you know about my dream? And what's this about an old friend? Who are you talking about?"

Suddenly there was a rustle in the bushes a few hundred feet away. "Kagome!" she heard a voice yell. It was InuYasha.

"I'll be in touch," Naraku said and leapt into the trees above them disappearing from sight.

'_How did he know about my dream?'_

"Kagome, there you are!" InuYasha exclaimed. "I've been looking all over for you."

"Oh," Kagome said faintly and struggled to regain her composure. "I was just out to look for food and got lost."

InuYasha lifted his right hand and in it were three large rabbits. "Well I told you I'd go out and get the food," he scolded. "You should know better than wandering off on your own Kagome." He looked at the small girl. He could sense that she was hungry and a bit dehydrated by the way she swayed. His features softened and he turned his back to Kagome, indicating for her to jump on. "Let's get back to Kaede's."

Kagome hesitated at first as Naraku's voice echoed through her head. _'You and I are pawns in their little game...' _After a moment Kagome shook her head to clear it and climbed on InuYashas back, clutching his neck tightly as he took off, bounding and leaping through the air.

'_Naraku doesn't know what he's talking about. But just in case he does...I'll keep and extra eye out for InuYasha tonight.' _

When InuYasha and Kagome got back to the village they found Miroku and Sango sitting across from each other talking intently while Shippo went about collecting twigs for firewood. Kirara mewed every so often as if pointing Shippo in the right direction.

"Kagome, InuYasha!" Sango exclaimed. She stood up and Miroku followed suit. "We were worried about you guys."

InuYasha scoffed. "Worried? About me? Oh please. You know very well that I can take care of myself."

"Well we were mainly talking about Kagome," Sango stated bluntly.

InuYasha sweatdropped and blushed.

"Yeah," Miroku agreed. "While I was out on my walk I spotted Kikyo heading towards the village. And by the time I got back Kagome, you were gone so I immediately expected the worse."

"Kikyo was here?" Kagome inquired. She looked around. Nothing seemed to be disturbed.

"We already checked everything," Miroku said, reading Kagome's mind. "There's nothing missing."

"Oh...well she wouldn't come here for no reason, would she?" Kagome asked. "There has to be a reason why-"

"Maybe she was looking for the jewel?" Sango suggested.

"Well she'd have to be foolish to think that we'd leave the jewel by itself."

"Maybe she was looking for you InuYasha," Shippo said out of nowhere. Everybody glanced down at the small fox demon who was standing there with an armful of twigs. Kirara stood by his side and mewed cutely. Then they all glanced up at InuYasha who immediately went into a deep crimson blush.

"Maybe," Sango said slowly. "But why?"

Kagome took a step back as she recalled what Naraku said earlier. _'It seems InuYasha has teamed up with an old friend of his.'_

InuYasha noticed Kagome's dismayed expression and turned to her. "What's wrong Kagome, are you fine?"

Kagome's trembling eyes met his. "Y-yeah I'm fine...but do you have any idea why Kikyo would want to look for you?"

InuYasha closed his eyes and tried to control his temper. "We don't even know if she was looking for me. She could have gotten turned around in the woods or something."

"Yeah but what other reason could she have? She didn't take anything. She couldn't possibly-"

"Would you just drop it already!" InuYasha yelled out of nowhere, causing Kagome to jump mid-sentence.

Everyone stared at him with astonished looks on their face. Shippo had dropped all the twigs he had gathered and clutched Kagomes leg for comfort.

"InuYasha, what's wrong?" Shippo asked innocently. "Why are you yelling at Kagome??"

"I just-" InuYasha started. He lowered his head in shame for yelling like that. "I'm sorry." He turned his back on his friends and walked into Kaede's hut and closed the door.

Everyone stood quietly outside just staring at each other. It was Miroku who finally broke the silence. "Well I suppose it's best to leave InuYasha alone for now." He reached down and grabbed the three rabbits that InuYasha brought back. "Let's get cooking."

It was nightfall before InuYasha reappeared out from the tent. The whole gang sat around a fire and didn't seem to be talking about anything in particular. Shippo was laid down next to Kirara and they were both fast asleep. InuYasha walked over and sat next to Kagome, casting a sideways glance over at her. She noticed him looking and forced a smile on her face. "How are you?" she asked.

InuYasha just nodded and stared into the fire. It seemed to hypnotize him. For a split second all his thoughts went away. Suddenly he shook his head and looked at Kagome once more. "Kagome, can we go for a walk?" he asked.

"Um," Kagome started. She looked at Miroku and Sango who gave her questioning looks. "Sure," she finally said a bit nervously. "Lemme just grab my bow...never know when trouble can brew."

InuYasha scoffed. "Come on Kagome I'll be with you. You don't need your bow."

Kagome bit the inside of her cheek and feigned a smile. "Alright," she said and glanced back at Sango and Miroku one last time before walking off into the woods with InuYasha.

Sango and Miroku both noticed and looked curiously at each other. "What was that about?" they asked.

Kagome and InuYasha had been walking a good 10 minutes before he finally decided to say something. "Kagome, listen. You've been giving me weird looks lately and I don't know what to think of it."

Kagome listened intently to what InuYasha had to say. Where exactly was he going with this?

"And I know I've been disappearing a lot too," InuYasha continued. "And with what Shippo said about Kikyo coming to the village to see me and all. It sounds pretty shady if I do say so myself." InuYasha stopped near a small pond and grabbed a small rock from the earth. He ran his fingers across the smooth surface, imagining it was her face he was caressing. Finally he threw it across the pond and watched as it skipped a good five times before dunking into the shallow water. "And the truth is: I have been seeing Kikyo behind everyone's back."

There was a long silence between the two of them. "I-I understand," Kagome said and lowered her head. Her bangs shadowed her eyes; shadowed her tears. "You still love Kikyo..."

"What?" InuYasha exclaimed. "No, no Kagome. No I don't."

Kagome lifted her head angrily to meet InuYasha's amber eyes. Hers welled up with unshed tears. "You just said it yourself. You just told me that you've been sneaking off to see Kikyo."

"I-I just needed her advice. That's all, I swear Kagome."

"Are you kidding me??" Kagome cried out irritably. "What on earth could you possibly need to ask her about?" She turned her back on InuYasha once again, angry with herself to show him her tears.

InuYasha approached Kagome and put his hand on her shoulder. "Kagome..." he looked up at the moon. It indicated that it was a new day. He hugged her tightly from behind and Kagome gasped in surprise. "Happy birthday," he muttered in her ear and turned her around suddenly. He looked to the side, not wanting to meet her eyes and held his hand towards her. In his hand was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. It was a porcelain dolphin that was intricately carved with the best detail she had ever seen. It was colored too...a soft bluish gray color. Also stuffed in his hand were two white lilies that were becoming limp from his tight grip.

"Inu-InuYasha," Kagome stuttered, touched by his gesture. "How did you know?"

InuYasha ducked his head down so she wouldn't see his eyes. "I-I went through your pack one day and read that thing that had the numbers so you won't forget what day it is..." he trailed off, embarrassed by his lack of knowledge of her era.

"You mean my calendar?" Kagome asked.

InuYasha nodded. "Sorry...I didn't mean to go through your things. I was looking for something to eat a week ago and it just fell out. And I really care about you Kagome. I wanted to do something nice for you." InuYasha continued to hold out his hand, waiting for her to take the dolphin and the flowers. When she didn't accept it he met her with confused eyes. "What, don't you like it?" he asked.

Kagome's eyes widened and she accepted the items from his hands. "No, InuYasha, I love it! I-how did you know that dolphins are my favorite animal? And that lilies were my favorite flowers?" She brought the flowers to her face and inhaled deeply, smiling.

"Oh, that," InuYasha said. He rubbed the back of his head shyly. "I went through the well to talk to Souta about what I should get you. He helped out a lot but he didn't know which flowers were your favorite...that's why I went to Kikyo. I figured with you being her reincarnation and all, you'd like the same types of things."

Kagome turned a crimson red and attempted to hide her face behind the flowers. She couldn't believe this...InuYasha went totally out of his way to do something special for her. And here she was thinking that InuYasha was plotting against her and her friends...

"I really appreciate it, InuYasha," Kagome said. She leaned up on her tip-toes and gave him a peck on his cheek.

InuYasha turned red too and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, well it's no problem." He paused awkwardly and took a deep breath. "Well, I guess it's time to get back to Miroku and Sango."

Kagome nodded and linked her arm into InuYasha's as they walked back the village.

"_Everyone will fear me, including you," InuYasha growled lowly as he sliced through the air with his claws. The effect of his lash rippled through the air towards Kagome's face, slicing her cheek open._

"_Why!?" Kagome screamed out. "Why are you doing this?? Don't you know that we loved you? That I loved you?"_

"_Silly girl. Did you ever think InuYasha could love one such as yourself when he had me all along?" _

_Kikyo. _

_The priestess lifted her bow and reached back to grab an arrow from the buffalo skin casing. She placed the tip of the arrow at the base of the bow and stretched the boar haired string back until her bow was taut, aiming directly at Kagome's heart. "Now say good-bye." _

"_Nooo!"_

"No.." Kagome whimpered in her sleep. She thrashed around a bit and finally opened her eyes and looked around sleepily. "Not again, "Kagome muttered and rubbed her eyes.

Sango slept next to her with Kirara near her pillow while Miroku leaned back against one of the hut walls in a deep sleep. Shippo stirred a bit and she glanced down. She could have woken the little fox demon. Thank God she didn't. She noticed the small blanket she made for him was thrown to the side and she covered him up once again. Shippo snuggled up against the blanket. "Thanks papa..." Shippo muttered in his sleep. She pet his head gently and turned towards InuYasha.

"Inu..yasha?" she called out quietly.

He wasn't there.

The hair on Kagome's arms stood up and she looked around the room. _'Where was he?' _She stood up quietly and tiptoed through the room towards the door. She looked back at her friends to make sure they were still sound asleep and she gently began to open the door to the hut. As soon as she stepped out she was greeted by none other than InuYasha who seemed like he was just getting ready to walk back into the hut.

"InuYasha!" Kagome exclaimed. She looked back and covered her mouth tightly. She was louder than she should have been and may have woke her friends. But no, they still remained asleep.

"Ka-Kagome! What are you doing up?" InuYasha asked, very surprised. He took her arm and dragged her away from the hut so everyone else wouldn't be awoken by their conversation.

"I-I just had a bad dream and saw you weren't there...where were you InuYasha?" Kagome asked a bit suspiciously. He got what he needed from Kikyo, right? Why was he still sneaking out during the middle of the night?

"I just had to go to the bathroom," InuYasha smirked a bit then broke out into a big smile. He was hoping Kagome would react the same way-with a smile, but her face remained solemn. InuYasha's smile disappeared and he lowered his ears in embarrassment.

"Oh...well ok then," Kagome replied reluctantly and studied him. Was he telling the truth about going to the bathroom or was he still seeing Kikyo and just using that as a cover up? She bit her lip and found that she couldn't come to a conclusion and it frustrated her more than anything else-not know what's going on in the mind of the person you care for.

Sensing that Kagome still suspected him from being in love with Kikyo, InuYasha took a step closer to Kagome and slowly wrapped his arms around her, holding her closely. He waited for her to sit him but no such command was uttered from her lips. He could feel her chest rise and fall rapidly as her breath quickened. And he was sure that she could hear his heart racing a mile a minute. He rested his head on the top of hers and got lost in the moment. So lost that he almost didn't notice her trembling. "Kagome," he exclaimed and released her from his grip. He took a step back. "What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?"

Kagome lowered her head and shook it slowly. "No, InuYasha." She lifted her head to meet his and smiled. "No you didn't do anything wrong at all."

InuYasha smiled and sighed. "Well I guess it's time to get back to bed," he said simply and walked back towards the hut.

"Yeah...guess so," Kagome agreed and began to follow him but just as she turned towards the hut, something caught her eye and she spun back around. "Who's there?" she called out shakily. She looked into the woods but all she was greeted with was darkness. She squinted her eyes and scanned the trees for movement. _'What is that?' _Kagome thought to herself. There was a shadowy figure behind one of the trees. She took a step forward and suddenly the shadowy figure darted into the clearing.

Kagome gasped and braced herself but with a second look she saw that it was just a deer. She laughed nervously at her paranoia and observed the deer as it nibbled on some grass then ran back into the forest.

"Kagome, you coming?" InuYasha called out.

Kagome snapped back to reality and nodded her head. "Yeah here I come." She rushed back inside Kaede's hut and didn't glance back once.

'_Foolish girl...I thought the reincarnation of Kikyo would be much more smarter than what you've turned out to be. You're walking blindly right into my trap...' _

A/N: Okie dokie. That was the first chapter. I'll get working on the second chapter but it may be a while before I upload it because my internet access is down. I'm at the library right now. ; And hopefully I'll have some faithful readers who'll reply and give me CC because I'll be sad if I write a second chapter and no one'll read it. ;( So please leave some reviews. I do have some questions however. Does anyone know what Sango's attack is called with her boomerang? I know how to say it somewhat but I have no idea how to spell it. Also what is the name of her boomerang? ??


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